Protecting the Clinch River

The Clinch River is a world-renowned resource right here in Virginia. It holds the largest diversity of mussel species in the world, and is home to a wide variety of other aquatic species, too. At this important time of economic transition in the coal-bearing region of Appalachia, protecting natural resources like the Clinch is of utmost importance.

Appalachian Power Co. has a coal-fired power plant on the Clinch, in Russell County, built in the 1950s. Under new federal requirements for coal ash, the utility is plans to drain a four-acre coal ash impoundment, and is applying to Virginia for a permit to discharge the water as it drains from the impoundment into the Clinch.

But the proposed permit fails to fully protect the river, and would allow APCo to discharge elevated levels of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury and selenium. The permit also does not require sufficient monitoring during the dewatering process. APCo has a modern wastewater treatment facility at the site and could do a much better job of eliminating these toxics from the coal ash water before sending it to the river, yet the state is not requiring the utility to filter the coal ash water at this facility.

Our Central Appalachia team has been working diligently to alert area residents to problems with APCo’s plan, urging them to attend a public hearing in May and to write comments to the Virginia Department for Environmental Quality for the official record. We continue to collaborate with local groups and citizens to track the permit process and make sure the Clinch River gets the full protection it deserves.

Learn more about the river.

Protecting the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountain Region